Post Four: Now That I Think Of It...

My inspiration images from last week sent me scouring all the supermarkets and gardens I know in search of funny-looking fruit.  I guess you could say that idea inspired me this week, when I decided to zoom out a little bit, and look at my dad's garden for all that it is.  Albeit less kitschy, this week's topic (and the accompanying images) go a lot deeper into the things I appreciate as a person and as an artist.

I again went searching for images I previously hadn't expected to find, but this time I was inspired by the subjects themselves, their environment, and the story behind them.  I found that  the more I viewed the garden as my dad's own artistic creation, the more inspired I became.

These onions, for example, are grown by my dad, then cooked by my mom into what is literally the most delectable sauce anyone will ever taste.  

Even though these berries grew wild, my dad is still just as proud of them.  He'll say, "Did you see what grew in the garden?!"  It's ridiculously adorable.  

He planted these vines a few years ago, they died, and then they were briefly revived this year.  Though I can count the number of successful grapes on one hand, I still find this image inspiring; my dad grew that grape, and he's proud of it.  

Here's a bench that's been overtaken by weeds.  What I love this is the fact that it looks frozen in time -- like the mint plant that once sat there might still be somewhere underneath the dry icicle-like stalks.  

Another comment to the sporadic dismay throughout the garden, this messy-yet-beautiful spiderweb and the determination of its creator reminded me of my dad and his impassioned hobby.  

Post Three: Funky Fruits

This Eggplant came from my dad's garden back home.  I saw it and was instantly reminded of the book How Are You Peeling?  Food with Moods by Saxton Freyman and Joost Elfers.  I love this book's creative eye -- that's really the only way I can describe it ("it" being the authors' ability to see things, like faces, in commonplace fruits and vegetables).
When I saw this eggplant, it immediately brought me back to these authors and their talent, while inspiring me to use my creativity similarly.

 So cute.

I love this thing from every angle.

Seriously, I can't get enough.

This is the book -- I highly recommend it.

Post Two: Getting There

Things to know before you view these pictures: 


My relationship with New York is not the average one.  I was born and raised just forty miles away in a  suburb of the city.  Given that, I stay here when I want to, and go home when I don't.  Traveling in between my two homes may seem tiring, but I think it's what makes me appreciate each setting more.  


Also, I love cars.  


This past week, my mom and I went on a little adventure to a car dealer on Route 17 in New Jersey; I pass it every time I go to or from school.  

Cutest.  Dashboard.  Ever.  

I fell in love with the retro design of the 500.  

I really couldn't help myself.  

What a small car.  So cute.  

This is seriously the best parking job I've ever done.  It's only because the car is half the size of my Jeep, but still.  

Post One: Retrospective

I think my aesthetic is pretty well exemplified by my previous work.  I like organized and traditional styles, as well as clever and unconventional ones.  If I were to make a list of things I like (artistically speaking), it would most certainly include: 

almost any medium

art that makes me happy

multiple meanings (usually two)

neatness & organization

personal connections & self-representation

politically neutral items

puns & general cleverness

simplicity

tasteful uniformity

traditional methods & styles

using art to accomplish tasks

writing lists & alphabetizing them

I think the thing I like most about art and creating it is the feeling I get when I'm done.  I love investing time in a project and then seeing it fully realized.  It's ridiculously rewarding.  I especially enjoy being proud of what I make.  Recognition from others is amazing, but the pieces that resonate most with me are the ones in which I was literally invested (time, money, fingertips, etc.).  

 I used this in my portfolio to apply to Parsons!  It's made of magazine clippings.  I remember getting the idea and being pretty excited to make it.

 This was a project (my final) from 2DIS Fall 2010.  I loved learning color theory, and this was kind of a culmination of what we had been learning.

This was my Fall 2010 Drawing final.  It's based on the back of a playing card from 1936.  I made it in memory of my grandpa; his name is written all over the background.  I loved making this.  

This was from a high school project.  I had to make a replica of a piece of art; I chose Roy Lichtenstein's Sleeping Muse and used matches that I spraypainted black.  My mom loves it and now it sits on the mantle at home.

This is my polyhedron project from 3D Fall 2010.  I used white sheet metal, plexiglass, wire mesh, and white rivets.  I loved doing the math that went along with this.